“X-Men,” the original movie adaptation of the Marvel Comics franchise
about mutants with various powers and differing attitudes toward their
non-superpowered human brethren, was a thoroughly enjoyable
science-fiction film that was a big theatrical hit and is currently
available in an extras-loaded special edition, “X-Men 1.5,” on DVD.
Three years later its sequel, “X2: X-Men United,” was released,
likewise did fine at the box office and has now come out on a spiffy
two-disc DVD set.

“X2” has most of the same actors/characters and creative staff as the
earlier film, even bigger and better special effects and an even
livelier plot to go with them. When we last saw the X-Men – so named
because of their loyalty to wheelchair-bound but psychically
super-endowed leader Professor Charles Xavier (Patrick Stewart) – the
good mutants had just saved humanity from Eric Lensherr, aka Magneto
(Ian McKellen), who can control any metal substance and firmly believes
that mutants and ordinary humans will never be able to live in harmony
and that mutants should therefore take decisive action against humans
as soon as possible. That crisis has been averted and Magneto is now
locked up in a plastic prison, but new peril erupts when a
demonic-looking mutant attacks and almost assassinates the President of
the United States. William Stryker (Brian Cox), a profoundly
anti-mutant military man, gets on the case and proposes a nighttime
assault on Xavier’s School for Gifted (i.e., mutant) Children. Since
Xavier and his key people – weather-controlling Storm (Halle Berry),
telekinetic Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) and laser-eyed Cyclops (James
Marsden) – are all away trying to track down the would-be presidential
assassin, this sounds like an easy mission. However, Stryker and his
men don’t reckon with the ingenuity of the children, nor with the
ferocity of their reluctant but dedicated protector, the
steel-skeletoned, fast-healing Logan, aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman).
Stryker has a secret agenda – then again, so does the down-but-not-out
Magneto …

The screenplay by Michael Dougherty & Dan Harris from a story by
director Bryan Singer & David Hayter and Zak Penn crams in a ton of
incident and individuals. It’s much to the credit of all concerned that
there are quite a few grace notes woven into the major action and
drama, and that the fairly involved narrative (there are three factions
at odds) is always clear. Singer, who also directed the first film,
revels in many of the effects – there’s a visually and aurally striking
teleportation riff (referred to in the commentaries as the “bamf,” as
that approximates the noise it makes) that keeps its punch despite
repeat usage, cool (pardon the expression) use of Bobby’s (Shawn
Ashmore) ability to create instant ice and the transformations of the
gifted physical mimic Mystique (Rebecca Romijn-Stamos). As in the first
film, Romijn-Stamos, decked out in intense blue coloration, some scales
and not much else, is pretty attention-grabbing even when she’s not
doing anything.

However, viewers who have fond memories of the first film’s development
of Wolverine and Rogue (Anna Paquin) may be disappointed with the big
emotional arcs here. A romantic triangle between Wolverine, Jean and
Cyclops doesn’t have the pull that the filmmakers seem to intend, and
while the puppy love between Rogue and Bobby is charming, it doesn’t
have a lot of weight. Likewise, the war between good and evil in the
soul of firestarter Pyro (Aaron Stanford) is visible but never engages
us on more than a level of curiosity.One
new character who does make an impression is the demonic-looking but
gentle Kurt Wagner/Nightcrawler, played endearingly by Alan Cumming
(the filmmakers are clearly fond of him, too – three different
featurettes are devoted to him). Stewart is kindly and authoritative
and McKellen looks like he’s having a ball as a magic man up to no good
whatever. Cox is shrewd and determined, Janssen is lovely and pensive
and Paquin makes us believe Rogue is a true heroine in training.
“Highlander” TV fans should recognize that series’ excellent Peter
Wingfield in a supporting role as a soldier under Stryker’s command.

Supervising sound editor John A. Larsen and his team have done a
wonderful, creative job of coming up with distinctive effects for all
sorts of unusual phenomena – besides Nightcrawler’s “bamf,” people rush
through walls and emit screams that can deafen everyone in hearing
range. On the DTS track, there are directional and electronic whooshes
in Chapter 1 before the film even properly begins, as Xavier’s soothing
tones guide us through a universe of twinkling lights that we’ll later
recognize as an aspect of the species-locating device Cerebro. Chapter
2 has nice, subtle effects in the rears to indicate quick
materializations and dematerializations behind the onscreen characters.
Chapter 10 has real heft in its volume as a character drops from
ceiling to floor, and Chapter 13 has very realistic flesh-on-flesh
impact in a hand-to-hand combat sequence. Chapters 14 and 15, which
contain a massive action sequence, have discrete gunfire sounds, with
bullet impacts all around, and the aforementioned sirenlike scream,
which is truly sonically disturbing. Chapter 22 has some subtle and
very convincing radio chatter in the rears, and does a fine job of
handling a sudden aural change, from the scream of jets to near-silence
inside a quiet room. Chapter 28 moves a huge explosion from back to
front as a structure gives way. Chapter 30 has the one arguable sonic
flaw, as the discrete effects during a fight move around in ways once
or twice don’t seem to be located in the same place as the dueling
characters’ lashing limbs, but this is a minor quibble.

Disc 1 contains the feature itself and two separate commentary tracks.
Director Singer and cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel talk about
adverse weather conditions during the Canada shoot and the details of
how, where and why the sets were constructed as we see them. There are
moments where the filmmakers fall silent and, unlike most DVD
commentary tracks, this one does not bring up the movie to fill the
gap. There are some funny anecdotes here, including discussion of a day
when an impatient Sigel drove his car straight onto the set itself, and
some serious discussion of how the “X-Men” mythology can serve as
allegory for any number of real-life persecution scenarios. The
commentary track by producers Lauren Shuler Donner and Ralph Winter and
the screenwriters covers a lot of the same information ground as the
other track, although fans will be happy for additional details.

Disc 2 contains a host of extras, including a very nice making-of
documentary that includes interviews with most of the cast (Berry is
the one notable absentee), featurettes on production design, scoring
and music, and an interview with Marvel mogul Stan Lee. The 11 deleted
scenes are mostly brief snippets, though an extra scene in the museum
and Xavier rescuing Cyclops are interesting.

“X2: X-Men United” is a pleasure, with snappy pacing, vigorous plotting
and some fantastic action. It doesn’t have quite the emotional hooks
that the set-up suggests it could achieve, but it’s an absolutely good
time all the same, and good value as a DVD set.